Horchata made from scratch

Horchata is a delicious and refreshing Mexican drink. Its made from rice and Almonds and served at almost every Mexican place in Texas. I think it tastes the best fresh, and not out of some powdered drink mix. Anyway, how else are you going to use up that 10 lb bag of rice? (You do have one don't you?)

20 cups dry rice
2 cups almonds
Cinnamon Sticks or ground cinnamon to taste
25 cups water
Sugar/sweetener to taste


1.) Grind up the almonds with a mortar and pedstle or a coffe grinder.
2.) Put the almonds, rice, cinnamon or cinnamon sticks and water in a big plastic container.
3.) Let it sit over night or longer for a stronger flavor.
4.) Strain the rice, almonds and cinnamon out of the liquid with a cheese cloth or hanker chief.
5.) Add sugar to taste.
6.) Put the horchata in the refrigerator.
7.) You can drink it cold or put it in ice with a blender to make an icie. You can also add milk or ice-cream to it.

Mixed Drink Called Rice Rocket

2 parts horchata
1 part coconut-flavored rum
Dash of Goldschalger over ice

Single Serving Egg Free Cookie Dough

This egg free cookie dough is perfect for one person who loves eating cookie dough, and doesn't want to worry about the raw eggs or make a huge batch of dough. Its also edible (and bake-able) by vegans. You can eat this as is, or add it to ice-cream / soy cream. Or bake it if you really want...

2 Tbsp white sugar (or any other sweetener, since it won't be baked you can use anything sweet)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp "Butter"
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla (or almond or lemon, etc)
Pinch Salt
1/2 cup flour
If baking:
Pinch of baking soda

1.) Mix the wet ingredients and the sugar together in a soup bowl
2.) Add the flour, then mix until doughy.
3.) Add chocolate chips, oatmeal, raisins, orange peel, nuts, coco powder or whatever condiments you want.
4.) Eat. Or roll dough into small balls and add to ice-cream.

Makes enough for one person.

To bake:

5.) Break dough into 2-3 cookies.
6.) Put on an oiled pan.
7.) Bake at 350 degrees for 12 min. (I haven't eaten the baked version...so I don't know how good it is.)

Mashed Potato Fritters

You have a ton of left over mashed potatoes. They are getting to the point of being dry and un-re heatable. What do you do with them? Not in the trash thats for sure!

Mashed Potatoes
Onion(s) or Green Onions
Flour
Milk/Soy Milk
Egg / 1 Tbsp ground Flax seeds
Baking soda
(salt, garlic, pepper, etc if the mashed potatoes don't have them already)
Oil

1.) Crack an egg in the mashed potatoes. 2 eggs if you have a ton. (Or add flax seeds if you're vegan)
2.) Add a little milk, a dash of baking soda and a few table spoons of Flour. Mix and add flour/milk until you get a good consistency. You want the "dough" To be able to hold together. Start with a little milk and work your way up.
3.) Add chopped onions or green onions to the mashed potatoes. And mix well.
4.) Heat some Oil in a frying pan, and then add a spoonful of the mashed potato dough. Fry one side until it starts to turn brown and then flip and fry the other side. Continue until all the mashed potatoes are cooked.
5.) Eat! These are good with ketchup or by themselves.

Kitchen Essentials

There are some things that should be in every kitchen. I decided to make a list of pans, utensils and foods/spices that are the basics of a functioning kitchen. Whether you're going off to college or getting your first apartment, this should be helpful to anyone wanting to know what things are more important to spend money on now, and what things can wait til later.

Pans:

A good cast iron skillet.

You can get by with this one pan alone. They are worth every penny you spend on them. Cast Iron Skillets last for 50 years after purchase. (So if you find an old Iron skillet...its well worth cleaning it up and using it!) You can use Iron Skillets to fry and cook on the stove, or bake ANYTHING in the oven. From chicken and cornbread to cookies and cakes. Cast Iron Skillets distribute heat evenly and cook everything perfectly. They are naturally non-stick, so a well seasoned Iron Skillet won't need any oil on it at all to cook eggs, bake cookies or anything else you use it for. Plus it adds iron to the food you cook in it.

There are some things you have to keep in mind when using Iron Skillets. They have to be washed by hand with vinegar and salt, and then oiled. You can't use soap on them. (and this really isn't bad, they are non-stick remember?) You should also only use wooden or plastic cooking utensils in them to keep from scratching them. (This is something you should do with all your pans anyway though) For more information on Iron skillets check out this site: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/CastIronPans.htm

And here are some good recipe suggestions.

Some Other useful pans:

Soup/sauce pan (steel is ok for these, but again anything cast iron will be better)

Baking sheet (But you can double a cast iron skillet for this)

Casserole Pan


Utensils:

Wooden Cooking spoons, spatula and a pasta rake/fork. You can usually find wooden cooking tools packaged in groups and they are relatively cheap. I actually just use some cooking chopsticks for pretty much everything. But most people in western countries aren't comfortable with them.

2 good butcher knifes. One small and one large. This is something else I would say is a good investment. These are good for cutting raw meat and raw vegetables like carrots and potatoes and even garlic and herbs. I use my butcher knife for almost everything.

Cutting board. Wooden or plastic it doesn't really matter. I would suggest getting 2, one for meat and the other for vegetables and doughs. This will cut back on raw meat contaminating your foods.

A pairing knife for skinning vegetables and other smallish cutting tasks.

Large flat and long metal spatula. These are really useful for cooking eggs, hamburgers and pretty much anything else that is flat shaped.

A wire whisk.

large, medium, small metal or plastic mixing bowls.

Some Tupperware. :)

Dishes:

2-4 Glass, Ceramic or Plastic Plates - make sure they are microwave proof.
8 Glass or Ceramic Cups (this is important because glass and ceramic can hold both hot and cold drinks)
Metal or Thick Plastic Spoons and Forks. (I actually just get by with chopsticks)
Some steak knives. You can use a spoon as a butter knife for toast.

Refrigerated foods:

Eggs / Flax Seeds (The best egg replacement)
Milk/soy milk
Butter/margarine

Cheese, soy cheese, tofu, yogurt. (all of these have protein and calcium, can be put in sandwiches or made into spreads and dips)

Fruits (Apples, bananas, and lemons keep for a pretty long time and can be used in deserts, stir fry, salad, tea, and cooking)

Green leafy vegetables (if you keep fresh spinach, lettuce, celery, artichoke, Cilantro, Kale, etc in the fridge, you'll find ways to use them and eat them more often. Its win-win. Just make sure to mix it up so you don't get bored.)

Starch Vegetables: these include potatoes, yams, corn, carrots, squashes, and pumpkins. Starch vegetables are part of the grain group of the food pyramid, so don't let these be your only source of vegetable. You need the other kinds too!

Always keep some Tomatoes, Onions and Peppers around. Maybe some olives too if you're a fan.

Dry Storage foods:

Whole Grain Flour
Sugar
Rice
Beans, Lentils, Peas (There are hundreds of kinds of beans so try out different ones)
Yeast
Dried Pasta
Baking Soda, Baking Powder
Corn Starch/Rice Flour
Oil

Spices and Herbs:

Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Oregano, Paprika, Soy Sauce, Vinegar (Balsamic or Rice is great), Ginger and Parsley

So in ending I would say if you had those basic things your kitchen would be well stocked for most cooking needs.

Dutch Pancakes

The first time I saw a photo of these crazy things, I knew I had to make one. The presentation is fantastic, and it tastes wonderful too. It was also a lot easier than I thought it would be to make.

3 eggs (Sorry but there is no vegan alternative, this is primarily an egg food and substitutes won't work.)
1/2 cup milk / Soy milk
1/2 cup Flour (bread flour works the best)
Dash of Salt
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
7 teaspoons butter or earth balance


Toppings:
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Powdered or confectioners sugar
Maple Syrup
Ricotta Cheese, Gjetost cheese, or another desert cheese.
Fruit
Ham, Sausage or vegetables (leave out the sugar and vanilla if you make the savory version)

1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place an iron skillet or oven safe frying pan or 10 inch cake pan in the oven.
2.) In a bowl beat the eggs until they are thick and frothy.
3.) Fold in the milk, vanilla, salt, and flour. (if you like you could also add chocolate chips, cinnamon, dried fruits or nuts)
4.) The batter will be thin but creamy looking. Once the Oven is heated, Drop the butter into the pan and spread it around with a fork.
5.) Pour the batter into the Pan and close the oven.
6.) Bake for 20-25 minutes. The pancake will puff up as it cooks and its done when it starts to brown a bit.
7.) Take the dutch pancake out of the oven and cut into wedges and place on plates. Add toppings and eat.

Dutch pancakes taste like a cross between crepes and mergenue. I thought it was pretty quick and easy to do. The whole process takes about 30 minutes and this recipe will feed 2-4 people. (though I admit to eatting the whole thing myself...)

Basic Crepes

This is a basic crepe recipe that can be modified to your taste and the situation. I make them often in college since there are few ingredients and it takes a small amount of time and effort.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, This is optional, for dessert crepes.
2 eggs / 2 tablespoons maple syrup or 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup milk

1. Combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Once every thing is mixed bang the bowl on the cabinet to get the air bubbles out. You can also let the batter sit in the fridge for an hour.
3. Heat a small non-stick skillet and grease with butter, oil, or non-stick spray.
4. Pour about a tablespoon of batter into the center of the pan and swirl it around so the batter covers the entire surface.
5. Cook for 30 seconds and then flip the crepe, being careful not to fold it.
6. Cook the crepe for 20 more seconds and then put it on a flat plate or cutting board to cool.
7. Continue making crepe this way until all the batter is gone.
8. Once the crepes are cool you can stack them and they won't stick together.
9. Put anything you like into your crepes, meat, fruit, cheese and then eat!

Cuban Bread

Cuban bread is a very good bread to eat with soups and for sandwiches. It is a dense bread with a hard crust and soft middle and a very delicious flavor. Its one of my favorite kinds of bread and something most people never have the pleasure of eating.

7 cups flour
1 cup water
1 packet of yeast
1 teaspoon salt
Splash of oil
2 tsp Sugar

1. In a bowl mix warm water, yeast and sugar together until it is foamy.
2. Add flour one cup at a time kneading until it is well mixed and you have a stiff dough that is not sticky.
3. Rub the dough in oil and over the top of the bowl place a warm wet rag
4. Let the dough rest in a warm place and rise until it is about twice its original size. I'd suggest letting the bread rise over night or make the dough in the morning and let it rise while you are away at work.
   
5. After the first rise. On a flat baking sheet, sprinkle flour or cornmeal so the dough will not stick.
6. Shape the dough into a loaf (I like a thick, square loaf for sandwich slices) and place the loaf on the baking sheet.
7. Let the dough rise another 5 minutes
8. In the oven place a pan with water in it on the bottom rack
9. Place the flat baking sheet and loaf on the second rack.
10. DO NOT PRE-HEAT THE OVEN! Put the bread and water into a cold oven, then turn it to 400 degrees
11. Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Cream of Onion Soup

This is fast and easy to make. One of my favorite meals for lunch. I made this up one day when I was hungry and only had onions and milk in the fridge.

1 Large White Onion
1/2 cup milk/soy milk
Beef stock/vegetable stock/bouillon
1/2 Tbsp Corn starch or Rice Flour
Pepper, Salt, Basil/pesto
Oil
White wine (optional)
Hard French bread
Cheese (Swiss, Gouda or Romano work well)


1.) Dice the onion
2.) In a frying pan heat about a table spoon of oil.
3.) Add Onions, pepper, salt, and basil or pesto
4.) Fry the Onions on medium heat until they start to caramelize.
5.) Turn the heat to low and add a little stock/bouillon to the onions.
6.) Add White wine and simmer a bit.
7.) Add milk (heating it up in the microwave a bit before hand will help the soup cook faster)
8.) Add corn starch a little at a time and stir soup until it thickens.
9.) Pour soup into an oven safe bowl or ramakin.
10.) Drop Chunks of hard French bread into bowl.
11.) Cover Bread and soup with cheese. slices are fine, so is shredded.
12.) Bake a little bit until cheese is melted and turning brown.
13.) Let cool and then eat.

I know it sounds like a lot, but the whole process takes about 30 min. at the most, and this soup is delicious and pretty impressive looking too.

Tropical Waffles

Fruit: I used strawberries, papaya and mango
Whipped cream
Maple Syrup
Shredded Coconut

Waffles (ego waffles, pancake batter mix, or homemade:
1 and 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup milk
2 large eggs / 2 Tbsp ground flax seeds + water
4 Tablespoons melted shortening
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shredded coconut

To make waffles:

1.) Mix flour, sugar, salt and baking soda and coconut
2.) Separate Eggs into 2 bowls
3.) in Yolks mix milk and shortening/butter
4.) Add yolk mix to dry mix
5.) Beat the egg whites so they are fluffy
6.) Fold egg whites into waffle mix
7.) Pour mix into waffle maker and cook til done.

Top the waffles off with Fruit, shredded coconut, maple syrup or honey and whipped cream. Then eat.

Sofrito

OK, since I'm Puerto Rican and use sofrito a lot (and it will consequently be in many of my dishes on here) ...I decided to post a recipe for it. Most people just buy the stuff in cans at the store, but if you live someplace like Wyoming or Ohio (or even most of Europe and Asia) it might not be available. So here's how to make it yourself.

1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic cloves
1 onion
1/2 green bell pepper
1 dash salt
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cilantro
1 teaspoon annatto
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 dash pepper

1. Chop onion and bell pepper, mince garlic clove
2. Heat oil in skillet and add onion, bell pepper, garlic, salt, and black pepper.
3. Cook until onions and peppers become soft then add the remaining ingredients.
4. Cook this mixture until it turns a dark red color.
5. Put the Sofrito in jars or plastic containers. It keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge or months in the freezer.
6. You can add more spices to the mix, olives, or sausage to add more flavor. To make more just multiply the recipe.

Eggs....Latin Style

If you want to try something different or are just getting bored with making eggs the traditional western way, try out some of these recipes. I didn't put any measurements because these are pretty much made by taste. I guarantee they are good.

Huevos Habaneros (Cuban Style Eggs)

Sofrito
(you can find this in most Hispanic sections of the grocery store, you can also make your own or substitute salsa, but that's not quite the same.)
Egg(s) (or tofu for the vegans)
Shredded cheese
Butter/oil

1.) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2.) Pour the Sofrito into a pie pan or ramekin. It should be about a centimeter thick.
3.) Break the eggs over the sofrito, try not to bust the yolks (or put tofu steaks on top and spice them)
4.) Put dabs of butter or oil on the eggs.
5.) Bake the eggs for 8 minutes or until the whites are cooked but the yolks are still a little soft.
6.) Sprinkle shredded cheese over the eggs. Mexican cheese, Cheddar cheese or Mozzarella are all good. Bake a half minute more until the cheese is melted.
7.) Condiments: You can put some Tabasco sauce on top or Fresh Cilantro.


Huevos Motuleno (Mexican Eggs)

Corn Tortilla(s)
Egg(s) (or tofu)
Oil
Black Beans
Cilantro
Salsa
Cheese (white mexcian cheese, swiss, cheddar, etc)
Optional: Ham, Plantains, Peas, other left over vegetables.

1.) Fry the tortilla(s) until they are warm and browned on the edges. Lay on plates.
2.) With a little oil in the pan heat the black beans and cilantro
3.) Put a layer of black beans on the tortilla(s)
4.) Fry some eggs over easy or sunny side up. (you can scramble if you like neither...) (fry tofu if you're vegan)
5.) Put eggs on top of tortilla(s) and black beans
6.) Put salsa on top of eggs
7.) Sprinkle cheese on top of salsa
8.) Other common toppings are ham, peas, and plantains, and I'm sure it would be good with any other leftover vegetables like carrots or yuka. Cook the other toppings after frying the eggs and place on top, then add the salsa and cheese.
9.) Eat!

Huevos Rancheros

Huevos Rancheros is very similar to Huevos Motuleno, (by now you've probably guessed that huevos means eggs in spanish) Most American Mexican restaurants don't make Huevos Rancheros correctly, and turn the dish into a type of taco salad. The real recipe is simple and delicious.

Corn Tortilla(s)
Egg(s) (or tofu)
Can of diced tomatoes
Onions
Chile Powder
Chile Peppers (Poblano, Serrano, Habanero, Jalapeño, Chipotle, Tabasco)
Fresh Garlic or Garlic powder
Oil
Shredded Cheese

1.) Fry the tortilla(s) until they are warm and browned on the edges. Lay on Plates.
2.) Cut the chilli's, onions, and garlic (if you are using fresh)
3.) In a large frying pan cook the tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic and a dash of chili powder.
4.) While the sauce cooks, fry the eggs in another frying pan (or fry the tofu)
5.) Put a half cooked fried egg on each tortilla
6.) Once the sauce has cooked for about 10 min. Pour it on top of the eggs. The hot sauce will finish cooking the eggs.
7.) Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.
8.) Eat.

This last dish is great to have with re-fried beans. The whole purpose of those bland Mexican beans is to cool the mouth between spicy main course bites. :)

Tea Milkshake

I'm a huge fan of tea. Its fantastic. And I'll probably talk a lot more about it.
Here is a milkshake recipe of something I make fairly often that is really really delicious.

Cold Tea
Ginger
Vanilla Ice-cream
(or soy cream)

Blend the tea, ice-cream and ginger in a blender. Then eat.

Here are some combinations I've found that are really good:

White tea with peach
ginger
vanilla ice-cream

Rooibos Tea
mango
ginger
vanila ice-cream

Black Tea
Cinnamon
Vanilla Ice-cream

Black Tea
Pomegranate juice
Lemon Sherbet

Mint Tea (spearmint and peppermint)
Chocolate ice-cream

But there are probably hundreds of combinations you could try. :)